On the Brink of Recognition
by 4thFromTheFurnace
Summary: When a fairly normal duel goes horribly wrong, Alexis begins to blame herself for 'the aftermath'. When life and death are on the line, she begins to re-evaluate herself. -ChazzxAlexis-
1. Fall

**Disclaimer: I acknowledge I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX, blah blah blah, you guys already know that.**

For those of you who have read some of my other stories and are waiting impatiently, or patiently, for me to update my other stories, fear not! I am in the process of writing them and they should be done hopefully very soon! Alas, school has hindered me greatly...Anywho! On with the story!

The cardiograph beeped its obnoxious rhythm throughout the otherwise cold, dead silence. She had left the lights off as if to make sure that no one would find her there. The room's blue hue in the darkness didn't help to cheer the mood. She let out a heartbroken sigh as she stared blankly into the darkness. She swallowed a wad of knots in her throat and let her head fall mercilessly on her knees, her disheveled hair creating a messy veil to hide her face. She still couldn't believe that it had actually happened. Nothing seemed real. Yet she still somehow remembered it so well, as if it was yesterday, although it had only been earlier that same day.

_"I still don't know why you bothered to duel me again. You know you're just going to end up losing." she scoffed, sliding a face-down card into its slot on her duel disk._

She couldn't even remember the cards she played or what strategies she used, but she did remember every single word she said. She winced as the whole scene played back in her mind; she could still taste the words on her tongue. As she clenched her fists, she still almost felt the cards in her hands. Her eyes burned into the duel disk she had so uncharacteristically hapharzardly dropped on the chair. At that moment, she never wanted to see it again.

_"If you have any sense at all, you'd probably be re-thinking that statement. I'm not the one that's going to lose this time." her opponent retorted before placing two cards face down and switching a monster into defense mode._

She deliberately chose not to look. She didn't want to see it. She knew that if she even so much as glanced over, she'd probably be thrown into an even more discombobulated state.

_"How many times do I have to tell you? No matter how many times we duel, there's nothing you could do that would impress me enough to make me like you." she snapped, sending her monster to attack his defense._

She buried her face in her knees once again. She had no idea how she could constantly spit out words that seemed so stupid, so selfish, so utterly careless. It all seemed so pointless now. She recalled her yearning for 'precious jewels' in her duel monsters deck after observing Jesse Anderson, her jealousy of the gutsy girl who dared to have a crush on Jaden, and most of all, her spite for Chazz's attitude, overconfidence, and person in general; along with everything else she didn't even want to bother thinking about. It wasn't difficult to see that the spiky-haired punk liked her, but she began to wonder when it was that she started to secretly hate him so much or take so much pleasure in making his life miserable or laugh when his life made him miserable all by itself.

_"As if." he snorted, almost amused as his defense was wiped away, after which he used the monster's special ability and a magic card to launch an offensive back at her. She countered with her face-down trap card, which he de-spelled with his other face-down card._

It all seemed so trivial now. All that strategy and confidence that she expended and now she regretted every single part of it. She couldn't remember much now. Everything began to blur together the more she involuntarily thought about it. All she remembered is that, by a couple sacrifices and a magic card or two, she had summoned a monster that would obliterate him once and for all. This time, though, it would be nearly literal.

_The force of the blow sent him flying backwards. Caught off-guard, his feet tried to find footing, but slipped as the soil gave way. She stood frozen, staring blankly at the cliff where her opponent had slipped. By the grace of quick reflexes, he had grabbed the lowest branch of a withered tree on the edge. As he struggled to retain his grip and try to regain solid ground, she still stood there, her legs beginning to quiver. Maybe it was the pressure, maybe it was the wind chill, even she couldn't say. Her breath hitched when she heard the dreadfully loud sound of the branch cracking under the weight. Her heart seemed to skip a beat every time that cracking sound rang loud and clear, along with the sound of her opponent trying to keep his cool and reach solid ground at the same time. When she saw that the branch was about to break, her feet finally decided to move as she broke into a run towards the cliff just as it ripped itself from the dead tree. She reached her hand out futilely as he fell towards the depths of water and rocks below, his eyes wide as saucers as he reached for her hand. When he continued to fall, she saw him close his eyes tightly, as if preparing for pain. She wrenched her eyes closed and screamed, unwilling to believe that it really happened. She began sobbing uncontrollably. Everything after that all became a blur. Even the emergency officers' arrival barely registered in her memory._

She couldn't help but blame herself at this point. Here he was, laying incapacitated in a hospital bed on campus with a head injury and two broken legs, at least. She had stopped listening after the doctor had continued to list injuries after the broken legs. She still had no idea how long he'd be unconscious or if he'd wake up at all. If only she'd called off that attack, then none of them would be in this mess. Maybe she could have let him win, just that once. She had only won by barely 200 life points anyway. Had he drawn one more time, he probably would have won. But nooo, she had to prove that she could fend for herself and didn't need him or want him; at the expense of his safety and quite possibly, his life. She didn't even want to know the chances that he would end up dying. The thought of someone's death, especially someone she knew, being her fault completely unraveled her. She already felt totally crummy for being responsible for this. Okay, 'crummy' was a complete understatement.

She glanced over, her head and insides wracking painfully as she looked at him. His head was wrapped in bandages, his ebony hair hanging over his closed eyes. She was only thankful that he could somehow still breathe on his own, as if his body continued to work even as his mind and everything else that made him HIM lay dormant or dead still inside him. Dead. That word sent shivers up her spine. She rubbed her arms with her hands to warm them and perhaps give her a little comfort in the dark loneliness of the shadows in the night.

That cardiograph still beeped obnoxiously, as if to give her a constant, periodic reminder at what she'd caused. With a slow and awkward gesture, she gently moved his bangs so he could see just in case somehow he woke up. She felt quite pathetic doing this, knowing that the chances of him actually waking up were a thousand to one, at least. She would feel even more awkward if he actually did wake up to find her gawking down at him on a chair next to the hospital bed.

Right now, though, as she continued to watch him, she realized how incredibly tired she was and how tempting sleep sounded at the moment. She scooted the chair closer to the hospital bed and resolved just to lean on the bed for a few minutes and rest her eyes.

Next thing she knew, her body had drawn her into the state of a dream. She dreamt that she was dancing at a senior high school prom she had long yearned to attend. Everything seemed just as she imagined, until somebody walked through the door, coming in late and causing the deejay to stop the music. Everybody turned to see the person wheeling in a wheelchair. The figure in the wheelchair wore a tuxedo over the bandages around his head, an attached IV bag dangling from the back of the wheelchair. His dark eyes droned on no one in particular and seemed to stare out into space. Her heart lurched as her dream shifted.

She was standing in a cementary, wearing entirely black and holding an umbrella to shield herself from the beating rain that continued to fall. It beat down on her ankles, uneffected by the umbrella. Her eyes itched and she wiped away the 'rain' from her eyes with her sleeve. She gently set down the bouquet of flowers at the foot of the gravestone. If anything, the dark blue irises seemed to fit him, even though they weren't black. So simple and yet so complicated, like him. Such a shallow surface, but beyond it delved the depths that were not often understood. She bit her lip to hold back a sniffle and stared at Chazz Princeton's name engraved in the stone.

She nearly jolted awake as the blinding lights made her eyes go white. She squinted to let her eyes adjust as a young male voice questioned, "Alexis? Are you still here?"

**If you guys are sitting there waiting for the next chapter, it is not here yet. I will hopefully be finished the next chapter soon if my school doesn't load me with too much homework. To be truthful I probably shouldn't have begun this one when I did. I still have two chapter fics in the works, but I have too many fic ideas to keep in my head at one time! Therefore, yet another chapter fic has been born! Tell me what you guys think...and tell me if I'm out of character or if this random idea that came to me while I was sweeping the floor at work is just totally lame. Tootles everybody!**

Preview: Bacon and Texas-style home-fries? When visitors come to see Chazz with some of the strangest get-well gifts known to the human race, Alexis falls deeper into the feeling that she alone is responsible. In trying to forget and run away from her problems, she gets a lecture/pep talk by the most unexpected person. 


	2. Presents

**I'm so horrendously sorry, everybody!! School is determined to make war against me! I'm lucky if I can update once a month! Sorry, guys...BUT! I guarantee that I will not abandon it! So don't give up on me! Ahem...Chapter 2...**

Alexis groaned at the sudden light exposure to her eyes. After a few moments, her eyes adjusted to the two young duelists who had just entered Chazz's hospital room. The first, the one who had asked her if she had stayed here all night, stared at her with a worried expression in his brown eyes. The second had a huge smile on his face and carried a very large, slightly suspicious-looking picnic basket in his hands.

"Howdy!" the second greeted, running his hand through his teal-colored hair. Alexis shook her head to shake off the sleep, and stared up at Jaden before her eyes returned to her lap. The other set the picnic basket down on the floor and walked over to the hospital bed to see what happened to Chazz. Finally, he said in his heavily accented voice, "So Chazz's laid up this bad, huh? I heard it was bad, but I didn't expect this."

After a few moments of silence Alexis drowsily mumbled, "You didn't bring Syrus or Hassleberry? I would've thought that they'd tag along with you guys."

Jaden shook his head, "Nah, Syrus is doing some big test right now and you know Hassleberry, he'd rather not come 'til he's good and ready."

Alexis nodded as if she was listening and understood. Finally, after a few silent moments, she inquired, staring over at the obnoxious picnic basket on the floor, "What's in that thing?"

As if reminded of something important, Jesse rushed over to the picnic basket and picked it up, smiling broadly as he pulled out a package from the depths of the little basket. With no hesitation whatsoever, he put it down energetically on Chazz's nighttable. Alexis had to stare at it for some time to realize what it was.

"You brought BACON as a 'Get Well' gift?"

Jesse shrugged and nodded, "Yeah, why not? Anyone who hasn't had bacon hasn't lived."

Alexis groaned inwardly. He just HAD to say something to remind her of the whole living and dying thing. She sighed and stared back at Chazz. True, he was annoying and cocky and even slightly lame, but Jesse was on to something. Chazz was way too young to die now. His whole life was knocking on the door, waiting for him, she had to have faith, or something, that he would wake up and he would be fine. Maybe in just a little while he'd be up and be his cocky old self again! He just had to...he HAD to wake up. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if he didn't. She was having the hardest time forgiving herself right now. Looking at him now, she didn't know if she could. All this was her fault and the only way she'd forgive herself is if he woke up and automatically returned to not-so-good ol' Chazz. If only he could wake up, at that very moment, she would...

"I never knew potatoes could be so delicious!" Jaden's exclamation broke her concentration very abruptly and obnoxiously.

Jesse held up one of his Western-style Home Fries and replied, pleased, "And you haven't even tasted Hash Browns yet!"

Alexis stared at the both of them with her mouth agape. No wonder Jesse had taken great care to watch over his picnic basket! Those two twerps were sitting on a tablecloth on the floor and having a very American-style PICNIC in middle of the hospital room!

She could only gape as she watched her two friends stuff their mouths with mouthwatering western goodies. After a while, she finally regained her voice, "WHAT do you think you two are doing?"

Jesse shrugged, "Havin' a picnic, what does it look like?"

Alexis scoffed, "Why?"

Another shrug, "Why not? I don' think Chazz'll mind."

Jaden piped in, "What's the worst that can happen?"

The young American duelist chuckled, "He'd get jealous? But I DID give him the bacon!"

Half of a fried chicken leg in his mouth, Jaden seemed to just remember something. He stood up and reached into his back pocket, pulling out a couple things and putting them on the nighttable next to the bacon.

Jesse bit his lip, trying with all his might not to laugh while Alexis stared at it, flabbergasted, "A sheet of Mr. Yuck stickers and a RUBBER CHICKEN?!"

Jesse burst out laughing, eventually coaxing Jaden into a chuckle. Jaden didn't give any explanation to his strange Get Well gifts and joined Jesse in a laughing fit. Alexis rubbed her eyes and her temples, beginning to feel a headache coming on. She slumped in her seat and turned to Chazz, staring at his closed eyes, mumbling, "If you only had a clue..."

"So how long do you think it'll take fer Sleepin' Beauty ta wake up?" Jesse joked, munching on a Peanut Butter sandwich.

Jaden shrugged, "I dunno, it shouldn't take long...you got that thing, right?"

After taking a moment to swallow a bite of sandwich, Jesse nodded, reaching into the picnic basket and pulling out something that he made an effort to keep Alexis from distinguishing. He set it on the nighttable and pushed a button.

The little figure began playing its big golden saxophone and dancing to a familiar tune. Alexis glared daggers at it, perplexed and annoyed at the same time. That white rabbit with the black tuxedo mocked her pain with its obnoxiously loud tune.

Jesse chuckled again, "I gotta hand it to ya, Jay. This wasn't a bad idea. If this don't wake 'im up, nothin' will."

Now Alexis began to get a bit irritated. She couldn't take much more of this insanity. Whatever these guys were thinking, she wanted to stuff them in cardboard boxes and ship them off to the psych ward. "Look, if you guys can't be serious, then take your picnic and get out of here!"

Jaden tilted his head, "Are you alright, Lex?"

Alexis rose quickly to her feet, so much so that she got a bit lightheaded. She growled and glared at her friends. "You guys so immature! I can't stand to be around you for more than a few seconds without feeling like I've gone to the circus! I feel like I'm going crazy every single time!"

With that, she turned and walked briskly out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Jesse and Jaden exchanged glances. Jesse gave a sigh, "Just let 'er cool down, Jay. She's takin' Chazz's injury pretty hard. I don't think she thinks that he's gonna wake up. And perhaps she hasn't heard of the concept of Gag gifts." he snickered, "Chazz probably hasn't heard of them either..."

Jaden frowned, "Jesse? You think maybe she's right? That Chazz might NOT wake up?"

Jesse grinned, "You kiddin' Jay? You honestly think that somethin' like that would stop him?"

After a minute of thought, he added, "Maybe you'd better go after her."

Alexis slumped her back against the gravestone, burrying her face in her knees. Here she was, worrying herself to death, and they were up there having a picnic, LITERALLY! They just didn't understand. They didn't know what it was like to almost kill someone. They had no idea what she felt.

Speaking of which, why DID she feel this way? Why did she feel so close to him? This was Chazz she was talking about! Arrogant, self-centered, ignorant, pigheaded, aggravating, ignorant, stupid, greedy, high and mighty Chazz! But...the way he looked at her, as he was falling. She couldn't get it out of her head. All this really was her fault. Everything that happened to him was her fault. And there was nothing she could do about it.

"Alexis?"

The rather timid voice jolted her out of her thoughts with a slight gasp. She looked up to find Syrus standing there, staring at her with a rather worried expression on his face. Alexis wiped her eyes, "Oh, hi there, Sy."

She scooted over a couple feet to let him sit down beside her. He sat and stared at her with a determined expression. After a minute of silence, he spoke unnaturally boldly, succeeding in surprising her, "Alexis, you have to stand strong! What happened to Chazz wasn't your fault, so get over it!"

"Huh? How did you-"

Despite her confusion, Syrus continued, "I know you think it! Why would you be out here moping in a graveyard if you didn't want to escape the guilt you feel?"

She sighed, "Sy, I just-"

"Stop pitying yourself, Alexis! The best thing you could do for Chazz is to stay there until he wakes up! Nothing can change the past and nothing could've stopped it from happening, not even you. Now get back up there!"

"But-"

Syrus softened, "He needs you, Alexis. In case you haven't noticed, you're one of the only people he cares for. Stop staring behind you to what's already done and start looking forward, okay?"

Alexis bit her lip, then smiled softly, "Geez, Sy. I would've never expected a pep talk like that from YOU."

Syrus blushed, diverting his eyes to the ground, "Well, someone had to say it...and we all know that Jay-"

"Alexis?"

Coincidentally, Jaden approached Alexis, panting a bit. Apparently he had been running, probably looking for her. Syrus stood and walked away, giving Jaden a knowing smile as he walked past. Jaden reached out his hand for Alexis to help her off the ground, "C'mon, Lex, let's go."

Alexis sighed and took his hand before brushing herself off and heading back towards the on-campus hospital.

She leaned her head sleepily on the side of the mattress. It was evening once again and once again she had spent all day there, not at all caring about her classes at the moment, which was very unlike her. When Jaden came back, he and Jesse had packed everything up. Jesse left with the stuff, laying a reassuring hand on Alexis' shoulder before heading out. Jaden stayed for a while. He had pulled up a chair and just sat there silently while Alexis absorbed herself in her thoughts. Eventually, he had to go back to the Slifer Red dorm again.

Now all was silent again and Alexis was left alone. She had been given permission to stay, for what reason, she didn't know. She took a glance back up at her unconcious friend. Dare she call him that?

She reached up to gently brush her hand through his ebony hair. If only she had started caring about other people sooner. For so long, she truthfully only thought of herself. Now she realized how small and imperfect she was. She couldn't even do something to keep him from falling.

Alexis grasped his cold, near lifeless hand and closed her eyes. She had to believe things would work out. Maybe Syrus WAS right. Maybe she just needed to believe.

She gave his hand a gentle squeeze before sleep took her once again, the saxophone rabbit toy and the rubber chicken, along with the other Get Well gifts, still sitting on the nighttable. Tomorrow, she thought, she should go out and get him something herself.

As she drifted off to sleep, his hand twitched; and slowly closed around her warm, delicate fingers.

**What do you guys think? I'm soooo sorry it took so long! Mwahahaha! Slight cliffhanger! To be honest, I just thought it would be funny if Jaden and Jesse came in so nonchalantly like nothing was wrong and everything was going to be fine...and brought the strangest Get Well gifts known to man. Well, actually it was the first things I could think of, and I felt that it would be like Jesse and Jaden to come in with Gag gifts, so viola! Anywho, here's the preview, guys! Thanks for being so patient with me!**

**Chapter 3 Preview: Alexis resolves to get Chazz a Get Well present, and one that he would actually appreciate! Trouble is, she's having problems finding something! And when an unexpected and unwanted encounter presents itself, Alexis is forced to finally coming to grips with herself about how she really feels.**


	3. Resolve

**Part of my Christmas Gift Fic Bonanza! Finally, the last chapter has arrived! You may pelt me with sticks as much as you like, after making everyone wait so long. Actually, please no pelting with sticks. I'm told that kinda hurts.**

Alexis gave a heavy sigh of aggravation. She REALLY didn't want to do this. How was she supposed to know what to buy as a get-well present for CHAZZ?! Now that she thought about it, that idea sounded so incredibly silly. She didn't have to do this and she didn't owe this creep anything.

Wait, who was she kidding? She was the one who pretty much chucked him off the side of the cliff! This time, her heavy sigh was mixed with a growl. This had better be worth it. Otherwise, this whole escapade would be a huge waste of her time.

She continued down the sidewalk, scanning the windows for anything that popped out at her. Man, for once it was almost like Jesse and Jaden had an EXCUSE to be strange. The selection of pretty much anything was terrible. She had to keep telling herself that she couldn't complain, since this island or whatnot WAS a dueling academy and not a shopping mall, but she sure as anything wanted to complain right now.

Alexis felt strangely cranky. She still didn't know why, but it kindled like a little flame of rage inside her, just sitting and waiting for someone to step on a nerve. Everything she saw that was being sold looked like something that SHE wouldn't even buy for herself.

Finally she walked into a store and began to browse for anything of any value at all. After a while of looking around, it finally hit her.

Duel Monsters cards! Wait, that wouldn't work, he'd probably take it as just another insult on his ego that he was so bad at dueling he needed new cards. Alexis ran her hands through her dirty blonde hair. There had to be SOMETHING in these junk stores that would be at least halfway decent.

After scouring every selection at least twice and even having the need to drag herself away from a few items that she wanted, she couldn't seem to find anything whatsoever that would work. She didn't want to give him something like what Jesse and Jaden had concocted. She wanted to give him something that would express her confession about actually wanting him to get better as well as apologize. Alexis wanted to express that she truly was sorry for what she did to him. Well, making him fall off the cliff anyway.

Defeated, she slumped into a rather uncomfortable chair near a small table. With her head rested in the palms of her hands, she closed her eyes and exhaled.

"Alexis?" the all-too familiar voice jolted her our of her sulking. She was barely able to supress a growl. She had heard that voice her entire life, although it lacked its normal irritating tone. She groaned, "What do you want, Atticus?"

She felt the weight of his elbows thump onto the table she was leaning on. He continued, "What's the matter? You're not still worried about that Princeton kid, are you?"

Her hand lashed out in a wide gesture that nearly hit him in the face, "Go away, Atticus! I don't need you and your fat head hovering over me like a vulture!"

Her brother quickly backed off, running his hands through his dark brown hair, "Geez, sorry, Lex. Look, I'll uh, see ya later, okay? Go get an Expresso."

Ignoring her brother's "insensitive" remark, she let her head fall back in the tabletop. She shut her eyes tightly, hoping that all the commotion going on around her would just disappear.

Alexis barely even heard the students walking by, snickering and whispering to each other. She knew they were talking about her, it wasn't difficult to figure out. Alexis couldn't help but cringe when she heard a distinctly accented voice call out to her, "Hey Lex! Whatcha doin' way out here?"

Jim Crocodile Cook's voice was unmistakable. She really didn't feel like talking to him. Him and that crawling thing that went with him everywhere. However, as expected, he sat down, resolving to talk to her anyway.

He tried to talk about the weather, about the latest homework assignments, and even about how long it would take for Jaden to learn to stay awake during class. Alexis knew he was trying to cheer her up, but once again, she knew it was in vain. Eventually, Jim took the hint and gave her shoulder a reassuring pat, telling her to take care, before he left the table.

That feeling of helplessness began to return. There was nothing she could do. She seemed to resign herself to sitting at this picnic table with her head in her arms and sulking. She knew she hadn't had enough sleep the last few days, and all of her friends had been reminding her of it. No matter what her girl-friends said, there was no way that she could just forget about the guy and move on with her school life.

Alexis knew for a fact that it was only a matter of time before she got in trouble for skipping school. Normally, the thought of skipping school wouldn't dare even pass through her mind. Maybe the only reason she was doing it now was because of Chazz. It slightly bothered her that Chazz was laying in the hospital, on what could be his deathbed, while the rest of the school went on like nothing happened.

Instead of going to her classes today, she resolved that returning to her dorm and taking a nap was much more appealing. With a great amount of effort, she rose from her seat at the table and headed back to her dorm. Maybe sleep would clear her mind.

---

Then again, maybe not.

She had been twisting and turning into every position possible to try to fall asleep, but none of it did any good. She had even tried sleeping upside down with her head hanging off the bed. It was no use. Alexis couldn't sleep with that nagging little piece of nonsense still at the back of her mind. No matter how hard she tried to forget, it wouldn't leave her alone.

Her mind couldn't quite put a finger on it, but it was there, just the same. That something that made her want to cry, scream, and shrivel up in the corner all at the same time. That something that wouldn't let her fall asleep, like a lingering horror film.

When she had come in the dorms, her friends had tried to get her to talk to them or start thinking of something else, but she would not have it. She didn't even perk up when they suggested dueling or shopping, it just seemed to make it worse. She would just have to go back to the hospital in the morning and make it up to him somehow when he woke up, other than another duel. Maybe, no, that's proposterous. Then again, after everything she had put him through, he deserved that at least.

Perhaps writing it on a note would get her spirits up a little bit. But, she would have no idea how to do any of that stuff. Her brain was too flabbergasted to do anything and she dare not consult her brother or her roommates. That would end in disaster.

Then who...

"Alexis? Are you in here?"

Blair Flannagan? The person that threatened to steal her friends from her? What was she doing here?

The black-haired girl glanced at the blonde duelist with a curious expression on her face, "Alexis? You planning on writing a get-well card?"

Alexis clenched her fist and sneered, "Where would you get a preposterous idea like that?"

The Slifer Red student pointed at the desk, "You're sitting at the desk with a piece of paper and a pen in your hand."

The blonde turned her head and nearly scoffed. Who did this kid think she was? Barging into somebody's dorm like that?

Blair sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, her voice low and compassionate, "I heard about what happened. You must feel really sad..."

The other girl snorted, "For Princeton? Don't make me laugh."

Blair shook her head, her voice heavy with implication, "No, not Chazz."

Alexis creased her eyebrows and bit her lip. No way she would break in front of this freshman. Her mind flashed to when she saw his body fall. She felt the corners of her eyes starting to burn. She swallowed hard, trying to ignore the wad of saliva forming in her throat. Suddenly, she felt a pair of skinny arms wrapping around her shoulders; and that was the last straw. Her hands went to her face as she began to sob.

Blair knew that Alexis didn't like her very much, but she figured that she had to try. The small girl didn't say anything, just let her friend get everything out. Blair closed her eyes, hoping and praying that everything would be okay. Suddenly, Alexis' weak voice sputtered, "How can I undo what's already been done?"

"You can't. But you've been by his side since it happened, haven't you? Even if you couldn't stop it from happening, the fact that you're there...with him...means you care...doesn't it? Just like Jes-"

"But what if he dies?!"

Blair stared at the ground for a moment, then looked up at Alexis, "Don't worry. He'll be okay. And, we're all here for you."

With that, the younger girl began to walk out of the room, leaving the Obelisk Blue to stare at her blank paper, still trying to wipe the tears from her eyes. A couple drops fell from her eyelids to create soggy wet stains on her paper. When her vision cleared, she spotted something in the corner of her paper written in blue ink. A small, slanted word scratched in entirely capitals. Alexis gulped back the wad in her throat and squinted at the edge of her paper. After looking at it for a bit, she finally saw it clearly.

FAITH.

She came to the conclusion that Blair or one of her roommates must have scribbled a little reminder on the edge of the paper to cheer her up. The blonde swallowed again. Maybe she would give it a try.

Alexis crumpled up the tear-stained paper and retrieved a second piece, resolute on actually finishing some kind of note. Maybe she would save some face and conveniently forget to sign it. Slowly, her eyelids drooped. She managed to finish the note right before her head fell to her desk, black pen still in her hand.

---

The morning sun shone like a bad alarm clock. She was late. The young duelist hurried to the intensive care unit, the note folded neatly in her vest pocket. For some reason, she couldn't shake this uneasy feeling from her stomach. Almost as if something was wrong.

As she burst through the door to the boy's hospital room, her breath caught in her throat, her heart skipping a beat. The bed was empty as well as neatly made, almost as if he had never been there at all. Suddenly, any hope she had in her heart shattered in an instant.

This was it. He was gone. He would never come back. There was nothing she could do. She had killed him. With her own two hands, she had killed him. She had always convinced herself that she was in love with dueling; that there was no room left for any other love in her heart. Now, that same dueling that she loved so much had killed someone. And even more so, someone that, like it or not, she cared about.

Slowly, she dragged herself over to his empty bed and fell to her knees, her upper body laying on the sheets. She clutched the fabric possessively, closing her eyes and bringing it to her face. His scent was still there, torturing her with the smell of leather and cinnamon that she recognized so well. With that, her eyes slowly closed again, luring her into a dream filled with sadness, loneliness, and dread. It seemed so real, just like the last one. She could almost feel the snow on her shoulders as she stared at the cold stone. Her unconsciousness could barely make out the name on the headstone, but it was almost too obvious. She no longer had a duel disk on her arm, and she heard herself make a promise to the empty void.

_"I'm never...going to duel again."_

Suddenly, the sound of people talking caused her to stir, pulling her away from her dream world. She slowly opened her eyes. Alexis could swear she heard the door open as her eyes adjusted to the light. She saw three shapes, the middle one black and white. When her vision cleared, she stared, unbelieving, into the dark eyes that met hers. Both stared at each other in shock before Alexis shakily stood to her feet, "You're...How...?" her shallow voice stuttered.

"Alexis?" he whispered.

She bit her lip and swallowed, trying to keep her eyes from filling with tears. Slowly and weakly, he stood from his place in the wheelchair. It was a miracle. Somehow, despite how injured he had been, he could stand, though he supported himself with a crutch on one side. Losing all composure, she ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck, initiating a grunt of pain and a painful hiss from the young man. She squeezed him tightly, inhaling his scent and clinging to him. He was barely standing in a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, a cast on his left arm and a cast on his right leg, but he was here. He was real. He was alive.

"Where were you?"

He paled before a slight blush hit his face, "Uh..."

One of the two nurses that accompanied him reprimanded him for standing up while the other politely informed, "Mr. Princeton just had to check in with the doctor to see how long it would be until he's released. He specifically demanded to go himself instead of letting us take care of it. So we had to escort him downstairs for a few minutes."

Chazz turned to glower at the two ladies, "Get outta here. Before I tell your boss to fire you both." he snapped.

The ladies bowed and left immediately, shutting the door behind them. Chazz sighed and glanced down at the young girl with him, her head still buried in his chest. His gaze on her softened a bit. It took a couple moments for him to realize she was shaking.

"Alexis?"

"I was just...so scared. I thought that...I thought that I had killed you. I thought you'd never come back to us. And it'd be all my fault."

He didn't say anything for a moment, until a smirk spread across his face, "Would you like to...make it up to me?"

Her eyes morphed into a suspicious glare. Slowly, he leaned down, next to her ear, "Will you at least...grant me one date?" he whispered, the blush growing on his face. The Queen of Obelisk blue continued to glare at him with an even more vicious glower than before. Finally she rolled her eyes, folding her arms, "Fine. After all I've put you through, you deserve that at least. But only this once."

The cocky grin that spread across the male's face made her want to smack him so hard that he would land in the hospital bed for eternity. Yet somehow, it was comforting. It somehow made her feel warm inside. She would have to make a note to thank her friends for the help and encouragement.

FAITH. Hmm, maybe she'd give it a shot.

As her eyes traveled to his once more, there was only one issue left on her mind.

All the pens that were issued to students were black. So who could have...

Princeton's cold yet amused voice interrupted, "So which loser brought the rubber chicken? Was that Jaden or the Anderson kid?"

**The ending gave me a bunch of trouble. Writers' block stinks major monkey butt. I'm pretty satisfied, actually. If you'd like, send me some words. Preferably not berating ones, I know how horrendously late I am. God bless you all and I'm praying for ya!**

**Special thanks to:**

**ChazzyLuverGurl**

**Angel Duelist 153**

**the vampire armond**

**Agent Malkere**

**WhiteAsukalover**

**Akimoto Ren**

**Jak er snel hest**

**Ambroise Blue**

**Chibi Tanny**

**CoNfUsEd-BuT-lOvEd**

**Jessie Immortal**

**kajinn**

**Simone Robinson**

**xxShatteredSoulxx**


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